Every Spider-Man Film Ranked
Three actors, two reboots, a historic deal between two production companies, nearly twenty years on the big screen and whole load of mixed opinions.
It probably goes without saying, but I’m a huge Spider-Man fan. From my early days watching Saturday morning cartoons and the first Sam Raimi film on VHS, I’ve been a Spider-Man fan for as long as I can remember. And similar to other characters like Batman, it’s a passion I had before I even started reading comic books. These characters are ones I’ve carried forwards in life with me, so it brings me a lot of joy to see them thriving across mediums.
Just recently I’ve been thinking a lot about the live action Spider-Man films and how far we’ve come. This is largely because Jon Watts has wrapped up filming the third Spider-Man project from Sony and Marvel Studios, Spider-Man: No Way Home. It’s a highly anticipated film and will hopefully be another home run (no Spider-Man “home” related pun intended) for both the studio and the fans. It’s the type of film to make me simultaneously look forward to the future, but also look backwards at what has come before. Not least because there are rumours of a live action Spider-Verse story being the focus of this new film, which I can’t say I’m too keen on for a number of reasons, but I’ll save that for another time.
With all of this Spider shambles in mind, I’ve decided to rank all of the live action Spider-Man films to date. I usually don’t like ranking films from best to worst, I prefer a top to low tier scale, but as you’ll see below there aren’t many films to talk about. So I’ve gone against my normal instinct here. I’ve ranked them from the worst to the best, so we can skip past the iffy stuff and focus on the good times. You’ll also note I have given each film a food metaphor, as an extra level of distinguishing the broad spectrum of quality.
We’ll start with a quick rundown of the actors who have played Spider-Man.
- Tobey Maguire (2001-2007) — This is an odd one to start with. His Peter Parker is great, he’s got the awkwardness nailed down and he genuinely seems conflicted. They had to rush the timeline a little because he looked less like a high school student, but I wasn’t too bothered by that. The problem for me is his Spider-Man missed the mark. He wasn’t quite as joyous or quippy as you’d expect, and it was the side that seemed less natural.
- Andrew Garfield (2012–2014) — I don’t like to say it because I know he’s a wonderful actor, but his portrayal is really not my cup of tea. He makes a good Spider-Man because he’s quick-witted, but I can’t get on board with this handsome, hipster Peter Parker who rides a skateboard through the school hallways. There was a lot left to be desired with his Peter Parker, which is a big problem considering Peter Parker is our entry point as the audience.
- Tom Holland (2016-present) — The best of the best. While the other two were good as either Spider-Man OR Peter Parker, Tom Holland is perfect as both. His Spider-Man is funny and full of joy, and his Peter Parker embodies the emotional seas of a high school student. He does a great job of showing every aspect of the character, whilst modernising it for a contemporary audience.
Now that the stage is set it’s time to dive in and go through the seven different live action Spider-Man films we’ve had to date. It’s always worth noting these are just my opinions. There’s no hint of objectivity here. I’m not approaching these films as a comic book purist or someone who thinks being a fan of movies means you have to tear 99% of them down. My reviews are based on my own personal experience of these films, how much enjoyment I get from them and the emotional response they illicit. Also, in case anyone is confused by what follows, clearly none of the films below are the best Spider-Man film ever made. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse is obviously the undisputed champion on every level. So if you’re wondering why that’s not my number one pick, believe me it is my number one until the end of time, but this list is solely for live action films.
So without further ado, let’s load up our web shooters and swing into action!
#7 The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) — I really don’t like being negative about films because it’s not my place to say someone’s creative expression is “bad”, but this film is an undeniable mess. I know a lot of people would put Spider-Man 3 at the bottom, but that at least has some sense of cohesion and enjoyment. Spider-Man 3 is dumb but in a goofy, entertaining way. People watch that film and talk about it because it’s funny, and when it’s not being goofy it’s partially enjoyable. This is just bombastic and stupid with very little enjoyment to be found. It has way too much happening, so it feels like five conflicting films crammed together like play-doh meshed in between a child’s hands, the villains are so wooden they’re taken directly from the pages of an Ikea catalogue instead of a comic book, and most importantly it is unbelievably boring. It feels like even the writers couldn’t be bothered to keep up with their own story because they seemingly pick up and drop things whenever they feel like it. My main issues are that it’s not enjoyable, and there’s no room for the audience to emotionally invest in the characters. The characters on screen are given such minimal development, so when big things happen they don’t have an impact, it’s all just ‘stuff.’ This is a film which consists of polystyrene and padding in a box. You can go looking for a precious item in said box but it physically doesn’t exist. So I’ll take dancing Peter Parker any day of the week over this, because that at least still felt like I was watching some form of Spider-Man film, if it was warped out of shape. This is a Spider-Man film in name only.
Food metaphor: this is a drunk person’s vomit on the pavement. It has some vaguely recognisable elements, mixed into a muliticoloured acidic mess. And much like when a drunk person is vomiting, neither the person producing it nor the witnesses are enjoying themselves.
#6 Spider-Man 3 (2007) — I bet you thought this would be at the bottom didn’t you? Completely understandable. This film is really tough to get through. It has way too much going on, and the tone is all over the place. One of the biggest issues is the weird compulsion to make things tie together. The film tries to create too many links, which is why it inevitably trips over itself. I think there are moments in here where it’s slightly less terrible, and it gives us a glimpse of the film we could have seen if they had just stuck the landing. You are technically getting the things you want to see in a Spider-Man film, you just can’t tell because the delivery is abysmal and there’s a whole range of other elements you didn’t want to see. Also, Topher Grace as Venom? Really? They weren’t fooling anybody.
Food metaphor: This one feels like they had the right ingredients to make a delicious roast dinner, but they didn’t have the technique down. They didn’t know what to do with the ingredients, and in a moment of panic they shoved it all into a blender. So instead of serving a well crafted roast dinner, they gave us a weird goopy Sunday roast smoothie.
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Sidebar: I can already hear people judging my decision to place ASM2 at the bottom, but if you’ll indulge me for a moment I feel this argument would benefit from some clarity. I think Spider-Man 3 and the The Amazing Spider-Man 2 are quite similar in many ways. Too long, too many villains, too much crammed into the plot, not enough character development etc. But there’s something about them which helps separate the two. For me, I think Spider-Man 3 is more self-aware. It knows it’s a cheesy mess and it has the conviction to commit to that as the franchise crumbles. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 is self-important, it seems to think bigger is better and that their teasing attempt to set up the Sinister Six would somehow work. Spider-Man 3 was the limping finish to a trilogy, whereas The Amazing Spider-Man 2 actively brought about a premature conclusion to a franchise in a spectacularly disastrous fashion, like setting fire to a building while trapped inside with no exit strategy. Yes Spider-Man 3 is ludicrous, and instead of putting out the fire it threw the bucket of water over itself, but I don’t think it was ever trying to be more. The Amazing Spider-Man 2 feels like it was trying to be “cool”, and what it actually ends up being is a bloated mess lacking in both style and substance. And considering this was made after Spider-Man 3, there definitely should have been lessons learned so the same issues didn’t occur, instead of doubling down on old mistakes. Spider-Man 3 was an emergency crash landing in a field, ASM2 crashed the plane into a building and tricked some people into thinking the flames looked pretty. Spoiler alert: it wasn’t pretty.
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#5 The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) — This film is…fine. It’s the type of film that isn’t aggressively bad, but also isn’t particularly good. Certainly not something that should have “amazing” in the damn title. More than anything it feels kind of pointless. It was a reboot which happened less than five years after the previous franchise, and it’s something which supposedly happened because Sony wanted another Spidey flick but Raimi’s fourth film fell through. So it’s more of a mutated business decision than a fully realised film, and that’s fairly evident from what the film gives us. Don’t get me wrong, I get some level of enjoyment out of it, but I feel like it could have been much better. The cast are all good actors who are unfortunately let down by the poor screenplay, particularly Emma Stone. I was excited to see another interpretation of Gwen Stacey but she is unfortunately reduced to such a minimal role. She’s literally only given screen time when the plot needs her to do something or they wanted to give Peter motivation to do something, which is a poor effort. On paper this could have been great. A simple Spidey origin with Rhys Ifans playing The Lizard? That sounds promising! I just don’t know where it went wrong.
Food metaphor: I know it’s a metaphor I use a lot, however this is absolutely a case of having all the right ingredients to make a cake, following the recipe step by step but then forgetting to turn the bloody oven on.
#4 Spider-Man (2002) — I’ve still got a lot of time for this film. I spent hours watching this on VHS as a child, so fond memories and nostalgia are definitely carrying this decision. Because if I’m being totally honest the film hasn’t aged too well. There’s a lot to love in this film, particularly the use of practical effects for some sequences which look terrific, but it’s not a standard across the board. At times it feels very similar to the Power Rangers TV show I’d see on Saturday mornings as a kid, but it’s still enjoyable. I think more than anything you can tell Sam Raimi is a Spider-Man fan of the highest order, his passion and vision shine through clearly as a director. The cast are pretty much watertight, and I think the writers did a great job crafting the weird internal dynamic of Norman Osborne and Green Goblin, which gave Willem Dafoe ample opportunity to steal the show. As a first film, this is pretty solid and it sets the stage for greater things to come.
Food metaphor: this is your ideal combination when getting a supermarket meal deal. The constituent parts are exactly what you’re looking for, but the quality very much reflects the fact you’re probably paying less than £5 in total.
#3 Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) — A second joyous adventure for Tom Holland’s Spider-Man. I probably have less to say about this film, but not in a bad way. This is a summer blockbuster but executed to a high standard. Most importantly they deserve an unholy amount of credit for giving us a live action Mysterio. I would have been happy with just Mysterio in any form, but the fact they had Jake Gyllenhaal pick up the fish bowl and chew the scenery made it taste even sweeter. It was great to see them really explore a villain we’ve not seen on the big screen before, and the weirder trippy sequences reminded me of Steve Ditko artwork, which was an impressive achievement. This is a film which knows when to have fun, but also knows when to have moments of sincerity to explore how the world looks after Avengers: Endgame. Plus allowing this version of Peter Parker to move out of Tony Stark’s shadow and establish who he wants to be as a hero was really profound, and it leaves us in a good place for future films.
Food metaphor: This isn’t necessarily an over-complicated three course meal, it’s just a simple dish executed brilliantly. It’s the equivalent of the pizza you get from your favourite pizza place; you know they’re not serving you anything complex, it’s just simple but delicious and executed to a high standard.
#2 Spider-Man 2 (2004) — This very nearly made the top spot. And if you had asked me a couple of years ago then this would have been number one. It’s not only one of the best Spider-Man films, but it’s one of the best superhero films ever made. And for me it’s all down to the character development. This film explores similar territory to the ‘Spider-Man No More’ story from the comic books, but also gives some serious summer blockbuster thrills along the way. This film really goes a great length to show the duality of Peter Parker and Spider-Man, which parallels perfectly with the film’s central antagonist, Alfred Molina’s Doctor Octopus. This film gave us a great villain, who is sympathetic and complicated, and only having one villain means they can steal their fair share of the spotlight. It hasn’t quite aged as well as I’d hoped and it’s a little heavy-handed in places, but the writing is some of the best you’ll see in a superhero film. It is the only film bold enough the to ask “does the world need Spider-Man?”, and more importantly “does Peter Parker need Spider-Man?” It is genuinely brilliant.
Food metaphor: This is the equivalent of the home cooked meal you miss the most, the one you look forward to whenever you’re back home with your parents. Sure someone else could make the same meal, but it will never be as good.
#1 Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) — This gives me everything I want from a Spider-Man film. It’s got action and spectacle, but it’s also got heart and character. As much as this film is a visual treat, the characters are the most important element. Tom Holland is perfect, and pairing him with an acting heavyweight like Michael Keaton was a stroke of genius. I really admire how they took a semi-goofy 1960s concept like The Vulture and turned him into a three dimensional sinister villain. As I said before in a previous article, I genuinely forget about some of the action sequences in this film because of how good the moments of character interaction are. In particular, the moment where Adrian (AKA Vulture) confronts Peter in the car is absolutely perfect. This film showcases the best that not only a Spider-Man film can be, but a superhero film in general. It knows when to provide adrenaline fueled action which feels like it jumped straight from the page of a Steve Ditko comic book, but also knows when to slow down the pace and explore emotional complexities and character dynamics. Crucially, this film still knows how to have fun and be unabashedly hopeful. It can explore serious topics but not come across as self-important, making it accessible to anybody of any age or background. Also I feel Michael Giacchino doesn’t get nearly enough praise for the score. Spider-Man has had some of the most iconic theme songs in the past, but Giacchino steps in here and creates a Spider-Man score for a whole new generation, it’s incredible.
Food metaphor: this is the whole of Christmas rolled into one film. The outstanding Christmas dinner, the variety of desserts, the chocolate, the snack foods that carry you from Boxing Day to the new year, it’s all here. It keeps everybody happy and leaves you feeling satisfied in ways you didn’t think possible. Engage as little or as much as you wish, but you’ll enjoy yourself either way.
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So there you have it, twenty-ish years of Spidey action summed up. It is strange to think in the space of my lifetime we’ve had three different iterations of the same character, while some have only had one. But I’m grateful we have a history to look back on, and it’s a catalogue that is still increasing.
I’m looking forward to seeing what Jon Watts delivers this time, and I have faith it’ll be as good as the last two. It’s exciting to think we could very soon be living in a world where we have a great Spider-Man trilogy. We came close before, but then the fringe came down, the boogying started and we all realised the boat was sinking. But I’m certain they’ll stick the landing this time. Besides, we’re all winners if we’re living in a world where filmmakers continue to bring Spider-Man, his supporting characters and his villains to the big screen. Regardless of the fluctuating quality, I’m thankful for the films we’ve been given and the experience they have allowed us all to share.
I hope everyone reading this stays happy and healthy in the ever-changing circumstances. If 2021 behaves itself, hopefully we’ll all be back to the cinema in December to see the latest insalment of our favourite wall crawler.
